Washington Post's Lorenzo Tugnoli

Lorenzo Tugnoli is an Italian photographer who's work has been published by the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal, just to list a few. 

In 2019 he won the Pulitzer Prize for feature photography, although his work was originally entered into the breaking news photography section.

Being self taught Tugnoli traveled the world shadowing renowned photographers to learn the trade. His work was extensively in the Middle East and he lived in Afghanistan for several years. 

His work tends to focus on problems such as poverty, lack of supplies, and over population in places like Yemen, Mosul, and Libya. 

Although, all very meaningful, his photography can come off as simplistic in that his work really implores the audience to dig deeper.  

"Students attend class at the Sir Alibdaa school in the al-Thawra hospital neighborhood of Taiz, Yemen. The school is a few yards away from a road exposed to Houthi sniper fire (December 31, 2018)"

This photo, for example could be interpreted in many different ways given the circumstances. The viewer could see that these girls are in school and connect it back to the lack of education provided for women in third-world-countries. However, someone could also see this and think that the building is very monotone, missing out on posters and color and be reminded of the poverty that people in these areas are often subjected too. 

A photo like this begs its audience to pay attention to the fine details. When and where was it taken? What is the political climate like in this atmosphere? How dangerous was it for Tugnoli to get the shot? 

Growing up, I always wanted to be the one taking these photos. The ones that make your heart sink so much, you cannot help but to find more information. The picture alone, speaks a thousand words but when the description is added, it almost beseeches the audience to ask questions. To me, that is what journalism should be all about. Forcing people to ask the hard questions and second guess the information that is being fed to them. 

"Taif Fares gasps for air in the intensive-care unit of al-Sadaqa Hospital in Aden, Yemen, on May 21, 2018. She was born with a heart disorder and needed constant care. Taif died few days after this photo was taken (December 31, 2018)" 

This picture is the one that got me really interested in Lorenzo Tugoli's work. 

First of all, using a child as the subject matter is bound to pull on some heart strings, and to see one with a condition that most likely could have been aided in America is simply heartbreaking. The contrast between these two images is that the first needed the aid of the caption to really explain its meaning. While this one, is clear with or without the explanation. You see a child, who is obviously sick and in pain, wrapped in cords and looking so tiny on a pillow of color. 

The saturation in the pillow compared to the sickly face of the girl adds to the drama. 

The beauty of the these two images wrapped into the pain and devastation of the reality behind them forces an audience to question. 

If they do not make you worry and wonder, then you are not looking hard enough, and I find that simply astounding.